ENG S114 LN 07/09/25
Administrative & Schedule Announcements
Instructor hopes to end class early (around 10{:}30 a.m.) so students can decompress before buses.
Tonight (07 : 30 p.m.) joint film screening in HQ theater (large lecture‐hall style).
Technically, no food or drink; permission given IF nothing is spilled.
Absolutely no alcohol (“technically illegal” + instructor will not be complicit).
Screening title glitch: reservation system re-named the event “Negroes Without Guns.”
Thursday conferences conflict with other programs; individual draft conferences moved to Friday.
First half of Friday = discussion of Williams film; second half = in-class work session + staggered one-on-one meetings.
Instructor will reopen submitted drafts, give feedback by Friday; students need not revise heavily before conferences.
Film & Book: “Negroes with Guns” (Robert F. Williams)
Book published 1962; film tonight recounts same early narrative plus retrospective political lessons.
Hugely influential: nearly every civil-rights activist read it; many carried copies during the March on Washington.
Williams also broadcast “Radio Free Dixie” from exile in Cuba, mixing avant-garde jazz and political education; march participants listened after returning home.
Williams vs King → “Diversity of Tactics” Debate
Modern activist term “diversity of tactics” = willingness to combine non-violent & self-defense strategies.
Both men endorsed armed self-defense in principle; key differences:
Williams: foreground it, be loud and explicit.
King: acknowledge it quietly while front-lining Gandhian non-violence to preserve national moral authority & minimize state repression.
Tension intensified as King’s prominence grew; he felt compelled to denounce (or at least distance) armed rhetoric publicly, even while privately accepting it.
Fallout: King’s public remarks contributed to NAACP suspending Williams; federal pressure later forced Williams into exile.
Using Williams for P2 Essay
Students may treat one combined “source”: book chapter + film count together.
Idea: analyze how Williams’ emphasis on diverse tactics reshapes perception of King’s non-violent progression (the “X/Y dynamic”).
Reading Focus: Nelson* on Domestic Workers & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
(Speaker occasionally says “Madison,” “Nelson,” and “Allison”; they refer to the same author’s scholarly chapter.)
Big Aims of the Chapter
Provide granular “daily-life” account of boycott mechanics—carpools, walking, fundraising, childcare.
Situate boycott in long history of U.S. domestic labor and racialized gender roles.
Turn-of-century: domestic service predominantly white, unmarried, temporary.
Mid-20^{th} c.: total domestic workforce cut ≈ 50%, now overwhelmingly Black women working permanently.
Introduce concept of the “nanny craze” & cultural nostalgia for loyal Black caretakers.
Key Empirical Nuggets
Chapter length ext{≈}\,35–40 pp.; cites ext{≈}\,100 sources → exemplar of dense academic research.
Author mined newly unearthed oral-history archive (interviews/letters) few scholars had used; quotes reveal “foot soldiers’” voice.
Mammy Trope, “Nanny Craze,” & Media Management
Boycott organizers (esp. MIA, SCLC) curated press images: saintly elderly maids, tired feet, moral resolve.
Image reinforced national myth of the passive, grateful “mammy” who simply wants fairness, not confrontation.
Double-edged sword: boosted Northern sympathy but obscured broader, more radical demands & militancy of real domestic workers.
Domestic Workers’ Agency, Militancy, & Risk
Workers walked miles, cooked for carpools, organized collective childcare, and confronted employers & bus drivers.
Example quotes: “Honey, I have washed and ironed clothes till my legs and body ache… my mind is at peace with God.”
“I better quit before I have to beat her… I ain’t big for nothing.”
Vulnerability:
Low wages, employer power, threat of firing.
Frequent sexual harassment/assault when alone in white households.
Boycott participation transformed worker-employer relations, fostered class consciousness & boldness.
Links to Cold War & Black Freedom Struggles
Civil-rights activities unfolded amid 1945–1991 Cold War; U.S. eager to present democracy vs. communism narrative.
Brown v. Board 1954 → symbolic desegregation promise; state violence still loomed.
Post-1965 shift: Watts uprising, Black Power rhetoric; King pivots to anti-war (1967 “Beyond Vietnam”) & economic justice (Operation Breadbasket, Memphis sanitation strike) — shows limitations of “non-violence only” frame.
Academic-Writing Takeaways from Nelson
Crystal-clear paragraph purposes; reader always knows “this is the para on X.”
Uses tons of evidence but organizes with thematic sub-sections.
Good model for later theses, but students can mimic a scaled-down version.
Essay P2 Guidance
Sources & Evidence
Use the two assigned texts/films; plus common knowledge (e.g., Cold War context, Brown v Board) without citation.
Organization Metaphor — “Three Doors”
Door #1 = Section on Thing 1 → section on Thing 2.
Door #2 = Reverse order.
Door #3 = Alternating (para on 1, para on 2, repeat).
Pick one, stay consistent, and explain logic to reader.
Imaginary Reader = “Bob” or “Connor the Centrist”
Assume competent but not specialist; knows Rosa Parks but not Claudette Colvin details.
Goal: keep Bob/Connor never confused—signal structure, define less-known names, clarify stakes.
Current Draft Focus
Solid intro: present X & Y, stake a claim.
First body paragraph(s) illustrating structure.
After feedback, expand fully; Friday work session will refine.
Writing Logistics & Timetable
This section will outline submission deadlines, preferred file formats, and policies regarding extensions.
Students are encouraged to consult the syllabus for detailed information on all logistical aspects.